Snowman
by StrawHatCaptainLuffy-Sama
Summary: The Straw Hat crew found a winter island set right in the middle of a circle of summer islands! And this island seems to never stop snowing. It's pretty easy to get lost in all of this white... Hey, where's Luffy? *Ahem* I had to change the rating, because of darn chapter 6. (Now rated M because of my messed up head!)
1. Chapter 1

Luffy boredly clapped his feet together, sitting on the head of the Sunny. Absolutely nothing had happened in the past week, and he was starting to grow tired of looking at blue, blue, and- oh! More blue!

"Namiii... Are we there yet?" he moaned, laying on his back to look at the navigator. The orange-haired girl was sitting leisurely on a beach chair and reading a historical book Robin had lent her. Glancing up impatiently, she closed the book and checked her chart.

"We won't be there for another two days, Luffy. Stop asking me!" she snapped, opening the book once again. Luffy groaned before laying on his stomach.

"But I can't last that long..." he complained, putting his head on his arms. Staring at the door to the inside of the ship, he started thinking about food. As if on cue, his stomach growled.

"Sanji! I'm hungry!" he shouted, expecting the cook to be done with the food he had been preparing.

"It's not ready yet! It'll be another hour before the soup is finished!" the cook called back irritably. Luffy blinked at his reply. Was everyone in a sour mood today? It must be the heat. Sitting up, he glanced up at the sun, a hand shielding his eyes.

"It sure is hot out," he stated, leaning on his back once again.

"Thanks for stating the obvious," Nami said sarcastically, ready to shove her captain into the water if he continued whining.

"You're welcome," Luffy answered, not noticing or not caring about the sarcasm. Franky came charging out from the belly of the ship.

"I feel SUPER today!" he exclaimed, getting into his signature pose. Zoro, laying against the wall next to the door, opened his eye slightly.

"How can anyone feel good in this weather?" he muttered before closing his eye again and falling asleep.

"Ah! There's something in the water in front of us!" Usopp, keeping watch in the crow's nest, suddenly shouted. Luffy perked up immediately, ready to do anything for the sake of breaking the boredom.

"Really? I'm gonna see!" He turned to the sea behind him and stared at the water. As the sniper had said, there was a dark shape in the water directly in front of the Thousand Sunny.

"Whoah! That's huge!" Luffy commented, noticing how the dark spot was at least ten times bigger than the Sunny.

"Avoid it! It could be a trap!" Nami ordered, getting up from her chair. Franky climbed up to the steering wheel and gripped it tight. But it didn't move.

"What are you doing? Steer us away!" Sanji ordered, just coming up from inside.

"I'm trying! It won't budge!" Franky grunted, straining to move the wheel. Sanji snorted incrediously and grabbed the wheel as well.

"What the hell? It really won't move!" Usopp jumped down from the crow's nest to help, but still, the wheel never moved an inch.

"Ah! The thing is moving!" Luffy realized. As he said, the shape had started to move towards the Sunny.

"NOOO! WE'RE GOING TO DIE!" Nami shrieked, panicking already.

"It might be a giant fish that's going to eat us," Robin, who had been standing off to the side, suggested calmly.

"DON'T SAY STUFF LIKE THAT SO CALMLY!" Usopp shouted.

"Luffy! Get over here and help!" Sanji demanded, still trying to turn the wheel.

"Okay!" Luffy called back, standing up and turning to face the cook. Chopper, just getting to the deck, suddenly screamed and pointed at Luffy.

"What? Is there something on my face?" Luffy put a hand on his face, feeling for anything abnormal. But Nami looked exactly the same as Chopper.

"Behind you, moron!" Sanji let go of the wheel to charge at Luffy.

"Huh? Behind?" Luffy looked over his shoulder to see a giant, scaly... thing. There was really no other way to describe it, except as a thing. It was huge, yes, but it was also darkish blue, scaly, and completely misshapen. They couldn't tell where it's head even was, let alone it's eyes. Or even if it had any eyes.

"HUUUUGGGEEE!" Usopp and Chopper screeched.

"My eyes! Ah! But I don't have any eyes! Yohoho~!" Brook sang.

"That's a really ugly fish," Zoro yawned, waking up from his nap.

"That's not a fish! It's a monster!" Usopp shrieked. The fish-monster thing made a noise between a roar and a gurgle, causing Chopper, Usopp, and Nami to all hug each other in fear. Luffy stared at the thing a second more before grinning.

"Sanji! Can you cook this?" he asked.

"Hell no! What could I make, ugly fish stew?"

"Then I'm going to send it flying! Gum Gum-" Luffy stretched his arms back, preparing for a strike. "-Bazooka!" Bringing his arms forward, he hit the fish-monster straight in the middle of its... stomach? Face? They'll never know. But, to the crew's surprise, the fish didn't so much as flinch at the attack. Luffy brought his arms back to their original size.

"No way! It didn't even move an inch!" Usopp's jaw almost hit the floor.

"No, but we did!" Nami was looking at the water over the ship's railing. In fact, the Sunny was drifting backwards from the force of Luffy's attack.

"Why didn't it go flying?" Luffy tilted his head curiously. "HEY! FISH MONSTER THINGY! I STILL WANT TO KICK YOUR ASS! GET BACK HERE! GUM GUM-" He stretched his arms to grab the monster.

"No! We're the ones moving! Don't go and pick a fight with-" Sanji cut off mid-lecture as Luffy 'Gum Gum Rocket'ed over to the beastly fish thing. "YOU IDIOT!" he shouted, cigarette falling from his mouth. But Luffy misjudged the fish as it ducked from his oncoming flying tackle.

"Eh?" Luffy passed the spot where the fish had been, flying off to the sea.

"LUFFY! YOU STUPID MORON!" Sanji shouted, ready to dive in and save his anchor-like captain. But Luffy flipped upside-down before he hit the water.

"Gum Gum Rocket!" he shouted, latching onto the fish and rocketing back to the Sunny. Crashing into the deck with a painful-sounding thud, he slid on his face until he hit the door leading to the inside of the ship. Sitting up, he laughed nonchalantly with his face still red from sliding on the deck

"That was a bad idea!" he observed, still laughing.

"NO, DUH!" his crew shouted at him. The fish, though, had an idea of it's own. It started swimming to the now-prone ship.

"GYAAHHH! IT'S COMING!" Nami shrieked.

"My heart can't take much more of this! Ah! But I have no heart! Yohoho~!" Brook joked lamely, dancing slightly.

"Let me try, Luffy," Zoro said, stepping in front of Luffy with a hand on one of his swords.

"Yeah, sure," Luffy agreed, sitting cross-legged in the middle of the deck. Zoro grinned slightly, then jumped up to the fish.

He slashed his sword at the fish, who was now too close to the ship for comfort. The fish, sporting a new cut on it, paused. Zoro landed on the deck lightly, sliding the sword back into it's sheath.

"Amazing!" Chopper awed, watching the fish start to squirm around.

"SUPER! I'll prepare a Coup de Burst!" Franky went down to who-knows-where to start up the burst.

"I'll hold it off until then," Zoro decided, looking at the fish.

"Hold it, marimo! I'LL hold it off!" Sanji shoved Zoro out of the way, causing the man to fall on the raven-haired boy behind him.

"What was that for, love cook?" Zoro growled, not noticing that he was crushing his captain.

"Z-Zoro..." Luffy gasped, trying to breathe. Zoro glanced down to see that he was sitting on the black-haired boy. He quickly hopped off of Luffy to continue yelling at the crew's cook. Luffy breathed deeply, laying on his back on the ground, before starting to cough. Zoro paused in his rant about 'swordsmanship' to stare at Luffy.

"Hey, you okay?" Luffy didn't have time to answer, as the fish decided to ram straight into the ship. Everyone jerked to the side as the ship was hit.

"KYAAHH!" Nami squealed, falling right over the railing.

"Nami-chaaan!" Sanji shouted, trying to run over to get her. But Luffy beat him to the punch, stretching his arm over the rails to wrap around Nami's waist and bring her back up.

"T-thank you, Luffy," Nami managed, eyes wide from her near-swim. Luffy grinned, having recovered from his coughing earlier.

"No problem! We can't lose our navigator, can we?" Giving her no time to answer, he turned to face the fish, who was reeling from it's collision with the Sunny. "HEY! YOU STUPID FISH THING! I'M GONNA KICK YOUR ASS NOW!"

"Well said!" Sanji said, grining dangerously and lighting another cigarette.

"I guess it was bound to happen." Zoro gripped his sword's hilt.

"COUP DE BURST!" came a shout from the inside of the ship. The Sunny jerked forward, throwing it's passengers back against the wall.

"GYAHH! TOO FAST!" Chopper and Usopp said together. Nami merely opened her mouth wide in a soundless scream. Luffy had his mouth open, his laugh whipped away by the wind.

When they finally stopped, the fish was long out of sight.

"That was awesome!" Luffy shouted, smiling wide. "Let's do that again!"

"Let's not!" Nami hit him on the head. "We nearly drowned!"

"And it's still hot out..." Usopp moaned, climbing up to the crow's nest again. Chopper quickly ran inside the ship, not wanting to get too hot since his fur was meant for cold climates. Luffy sat on Sunny's head again, looking out at the almost-still sea.

"Ahhh... It's so boring..." he mumbled.

Would you quit whining? We almost died! Isn't that enough excitement for a day?" Sanji snapped, going back to the meal he had yet to finish.

"But now it's really boring... There's nothing to do..." Luffy muttered, laying down.

"Well, complain silently like the rest of us," Nami growled, sitting down to read her book. Robin sat in a chair next to the navigator and read her own book.

"Nami-chan! Robin-chan! I made some smoothies for you~!" Sanji swooned, coming up and holding out a tray with two drinks on it.

"Thank you, Sanji-kun!" Nami took a drink, smiling at the cook. Robin took the other.

"Hey, love cook! What about me or Usopp?" Zoro called from his spot beside the door.

"What about you? You can get your own, marimo!" Sanji snarled, going back inside the ship. Luffy blinked.

"Okay." Standing up, he hopped off of the Sunny's head to go inside.

"Stupid cook," Zoro grumbled, standing to follow Luffy. Usopp didn't move, just continued looking around.

"Get mine for me, Luffy!" he shouted to the captain.

"Kay!"

* * *

"Hey! I see some land!" Usopp, still in the crow's nest, shouted down. Hugging his coat closer, he tried to spot the land he had seen. "It's to the south of us!"

"Finally! Land!" Luffy cheered, kicking snow everywhere. It had started snowing yesterday, surprisingly, and it showed no signs of stopping any time soon. Usopp climbed down from the crow's nest to see Luffy building something.

"Hey Usopp! Look! It's that fish thing!" Luffy said proudly, showing a large pile of snow with no particular shape. Usopp started laughing. The snow really _did_ look like that fish.

"Now is no time to be playing around! Usopp, steer the ship to the island you saw!" Nami ordered.

"Okay, okay..." the sniper grumbled, going to the steering wheel and turning it. Luffy happily sat on the Sunny's head, enjoying how the snow made everything smooth and white.

"Will we land soon?" he called to Nami.

"Yes, the island isn't even a mile away," Nami answered, looking at a chart.

"Woohoo! Adventure!" _**(A.N. You have NO IDEA how hard it was not to make an 'Adventure Time' or 'Up' reference!)**_ Luffy cheered, shaking snow off of his straw hat. "Zoro! Where'd you go?" Getting up, Luffy started looking for the green-haired swordsman. Until he tripped over something buried in the snow.

"Waah!" came from under the snow pile. Luffy, face buried in the snow, sat up curiously.

"'Waah'?" Digging into the small pile of snow, he found a... boot? Tugging on it, he dragged a certain one-eyed man out.

"Hey, what gives?" Zoro growled.

"We found land!" Luffy repeated what he had heard. "We're going to land soon!" At this, Zoro perked up slightly.

"Land? Already?" Standing up, he looked out to the water. "I don't see any land."

"It's over there," Luffy said, grabbing Zoro's head and turning it in the direction of the island.

"That island looks kind of small," the swordsman commented.

"My skin feels so cold! Ah! But-"

"-you have no skin, right?" Chopper finished the joke.

"Exactly! Yohoho~!" Brook laughed.

"Finding an island was SUPER! We're running out of cola!" Franky butted in.

"Luffy! Where's your coat? It's snowing, you know!" Nami realized that Luffy was only in his red shirt, shorts, and sandals.

"Gah! Cold!" Luffy suddenly started shivering.

"I told you!" Nami sighed. "Hurry up and get a coat!" Luffy scurried off to find his coat, which was probably not where he thought he left it.

"Sanji! Where did you put my coat?" came the predicted call.

"On your bed, idiot!" Sanji shouted back.

"Oh! Thanks!" Luffy came out of the ship, coat securely buttoned on. "Now, let's go! I'm hungry!" Nami rolled her eyes.

"We aren't stopping so you can eat, you know," she pointed out. But Luffy ignored her. He was too busy trying to see the island better.

"We're close enough to anchor, now," Sanji said. Franky went down to drop the anchor down.

"Woohoo! Adventure! Adventure!" Luffy cheered again, hopping down onto land without bothering with the ladder.

"Luffy! Wait for us, idiot!" Nami called after him, climbing down the ladder. But when Luffy didn't answer, she knew something was wrong.

"Luffy?" Zoro shouted, expecting an answer. But he was only met with silence.

"Luffy!"


	2. Chapter 2

It was really cold here. That was all Luffy could think of. All he could see was cold, suffocating white, and all he could feel was snow. When he tried to move, the cold bit him harder than before. Gritting his teeth in anger, he struggled to escape from all the white.

"GRRAAHH! LET ME OUT OF THIS STUFF!" Luffy shouted, but all it did was earn him a mouthful of snow. Spitting it out angrily, he started to struggle again, but a sudden crushing weight made him cry out.

"KYAAH! THE SNOW SPOKE!" he heard Nami's voice above him. Figuring out what happened, he shoved Nami off of him. Nami turned around, eyes wide, until she saw Luffy's head peeking out of the agitated snow.

"Luffy?" she said softly.

"Nami-swaaan! I'll come to save you!" Sanji called from above, most likely on the Sunny.

"Wait, don't-" Nami started to say, but Sanji jumped down anyways. Straight on top of Luffy.

"Luffy!" Nami screeched. Sanji quirked a brow, not knowing why Nami would say 'Luffy' instead of 'Sanji'.

"Coming down!" Zoro called.

"Wait, seaweed head!" But Zoro hopped down on top of Sanji. Franky followed close behind, crushing the three people beneath him.

"F-Franky..." Zoro gasped out. "I'm... going to... kill you..."

"Sorry, Zoro-bro, Sanji-bro!" Franky apologized, getting off of them.

"What about Luffy? Is he okay?" Nami asked worriedly.

"Luffy? Why wouldn't he be okay? He's made of rubber," Sanji pointed out. Nami pointed a finger- or, maybe a hand since the mitten covered her hand- to under the two men. Sanji, looking down, spotted the pale yellow of their captain's beloved straw hat.

"Did we...? Oh, god..." Jumping up, Zoro started digging down under the snow, trying to unearth the boy they had unknowingly crushed deeper into the white powder. Sanji started helping, feeling slightly guilty for not listening to Nami when she told him to stop.

"Got 'em!" Zoro pulled out the black-haired boy, who was completely caked in snow.

"C-c-c-cold!" Luffy yelped, hugging himself to try to gain a little bit more warmth.

"Go back on the Sunny, Luffy," Nami sighed. "You were just buried under the snow. You could get sick or something."

"N-no! I wanna st-stay out here and e-explore!" Luffy huffed, even though he was shivering.

"Go! Or I swear I will just throw you on board!" Nami ordered, her eyes glinting dangerously.

"O-okay!" Luffy scrambled to get back on the ship, not wanting to be the object of Nami's anger. Zoro rubbed his head, slightly sheepish.

"Now I kinda feel bad. I mean, we practically crushed him," he muttered, just loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Yeah... If he gets sick, I'm blaming you, moss head," Sanji said unapologetically.

"Hey! You jumped on him, too!" Zoro growled.

"Zoro-bro! Sanji-bro! Stop fighting! We need to go and get some cola for the Sunny!" Franky crossed his arms angrily.

"Luffy-san! You look cold! Ah! But I have no eyes, so I cannot see! Yohoho~!" The four heard Brook's sing-song voice from the deck, and they felt slightly better even with his lame jokes.

"Gyah! Luffy! What happened!" Chopper screeched. "We need a docter!"

"I believe that's you, Chopper-san," Robin said calmly.

"Ah! You're right! Luffy, come with me!"

"B-but I'm fine! I j-just got buried in the snow!" Luffy protested weakly, but Chopper ignored him. Nami laughed lightly at the Straw Hat captain's attitude, then turned to the three men down on the island with her.

"Okay! Now, let's go lok for treasure- I mean, a town!" she said excitedly, her eyes glittering.

"She's got berries in her eyes..." Zoro mumbled under his breath.

"Okay, Nami-swaan!" Sanji cooed, hearts in his eyes.

"Supeer! Let's goo!" Franky went into his signature pose.

"Yeah!"

"Chopper! Stop p-poking me! I'm fine! Gyahahahahaaa!" Luffy let out a laugh as the reindeer accidentally poked a ticklish spot.

"Sorry, Luffy! But I have to make sure you really are fine!" Chopper apologized, resuming with his poking.

"You really are a good doctor, Chopper! Kch- KYAHAHAHAHA!" Another laugh escaped the rubber man when Chopper tickled him again.

"B-bastard! As if I would be happy you called me a good docter!" Chopper said rudely, but his happy face said otherwise.

"So, can I go now?" Luffy said hopefully. Chopper sighed.

"I guess you're fine. You don't sem to be getting sick..." His last words were lost on the raven-haired captain as he rushed out of the infirmary.

"Ah! Luffy-san! Are you okay?" Brook asked the second Luffy stepped out.

"Yup! Chopper gave me the okay!" Luffy grinned, buttoning the last button on his coat.

"That's great!" Brook said in his musical voice.

"Yup! Even snow can't defeat me!" Luffy said proudly, putting a hand on his upper arm as if showing off his muscles.

"I shall make a song about this! Yohoho~!" Brook set about making up a completely rediculous song.

"Yahoo! Sing it! Sing it!" Luffy chanted happily. Usopp joined him in his stupid dance and chant, too bored to do anything else. Brook grinned the best a skeleton could before strumming his guitar that just randomly appeared from nowhere.

"Do you think we'll need any medicine? Just in case?" Nami asked Zoro.

"How should I know?" Zoro grumped, disgruntled by the fact that Nami refused to let him take a walk on his own.

"Well, I guess I'll buy it. Just in case!" Nami grabbed the medicine bottle off of the counter. "Chopper said he had run out, anyways."

"Nami-saan!" Sanji came running into the small store that Zoro and Nami were currently occupying.

"What is it, Sanji-kun?" Nami asked, smiling at the blond-haired cook.

"It's the robot! He's freaking out because no store he looked at sells cola!" Sanji said quickly. Nami blinked before pointing to her bag.

"I already have cola in here." Sanji gained hearts in his eyes again.

"Nami-swaan! You always know what to buy~!" he swooned.

"Damn ero-cook. Shouldn't you go tell Franky?" Zoro grunted.

"What did you say, marimo brain?"

"I said, go tell Franky!"

"Sanji-kun! Please tell Franky for us!" Nami interrupted the budding fight.

"Anything for you, Nami-saan!" Sanji ran off to go and find the crew's shipwright. Nami sighed before going to pay the shopkeeper.

"Sorry about that, mister! Here's the money!" Nami stared at the parting money with sorrow.

"Thank you, missy!" the shopkeeper said, reaching to take the money. As he tried to take it, however, Nami wouldn't let go. "Er, miss? Might you let go?" the slightly-overweight man asked, a tense smile forming on his stubble-covered face.

"Nami! Let go already!" Zoro barked. Nami reluctantly let the shopkeeper take the money, then gathered her items.

"Alright! Let's get back to the ship!"

"Are they back yet?" Luffy whined for the upteenth time.

"Just the same as the last fifteen times you asked, no!" Usopp huffed, annoyed by the captain's behavior.

"Uugh..." Luffy moaned, laying on the Sunny's head. Picking his nose, he started to think of what it would be like to actually try and fight one of his crew members. Obviously, he'd never do that, but he was just wondering. Besides, he fought Usopp before, and it was horrible. He hated having to hurt his friends.

"Luffy-san! The snow's building up!" Brook called over to the motionless boy.

"Yeah..." Luffy answered blandly, not even listening.

"You're going to get buried, nimrod!" Usopp shouted, digging the snow out of the Sunny's deck.

"Yeah, okay..." Luffy blankly replied, still thinking. Now Usopp was getting worried, because he could see his captain's face getting flushed.

"LUFFY! SNAP OUT OF IT!" he screeched right next to the straw-hat-wearing boy. Luffy jumped about a foot in the air, then glanced at Usopp.

"Sorry, Usopp! I was just thinking!" Luffy rubbed the back of his head, laughing sheepishly.

"Thinking?! You were thinking?!" Luffy put a hand on the scar on his chest.

"Yeah... But I'm hungry, and now my head hurts!" He tried to act normal, but Usopp didn't miss the flash of pain that flew across his captain's eyes.

"Sanji should be back soon with Nami, Franky, and Zoro..." Usopp said, hand to his chin. "But Zoro might've gotten lost again..."

"Luffy-san! Look at this!" Brook interrupted. Sniper and captain looked over at him curiously.

"Look at what?" they asked together. Brook pointed a bony hand at something beside the Sunny. The two black-haired crewmates looked in the direction he was pointing.

"GYAAH! IT'S THE MARINES!" Usopp panicked, running around in a small circle.

"The Marines? Really?" Luffy looked closer, and indeed, the ship bobbing next to theirs had a Marine flag waving at the top of the mast.

"Sanji-san and the others better hurry!" Brook commented.

"Why? We can easily take them out!" Usopp said steadily, but his unsteady grin and his shaking knees betrayed his voice.

"Because we don't want to leave them behind if we need to make a quick escape," Brook explained. Luffy grinned, forming a plan in his mind.

"Guys! I have a plan!"

"You do?!"

"Stay here! I'll take care of them!" Luffy ordered. "Gum Gum Rocket!" Flinging himself over to the larger ship, Luffy cackled with joy.

"Don't worry, Luffy! I got your back!" Usopp called unsteadily. But Luffy didn't hear him, as he was already aboard the ship next door.

"Are we ready to go, Nami-sis?" Franky asked, impatiently tapping his foot.

"Yeah! Just gimme a second..." Nami struggled to drag the heavy bag over to the three men. "You could help me, you know!"

"Yes, Nami-san!" Sanji immediately picked up the shopping bag.

"Thak you, Sanji-kun!" Nami said sweetly, giving him a smile.

"Let's go already." Zoro started walking away in the direction he _thought_ the Sunny was in.

"It's this way, Zoro." Nami laughed as Zoro turned around and headed in the direction Nami had pointed.

"I knew that.

"We're back, Luffy!" Nami called, climbing up the rope ladder.

"Ah! Brook! Chopper! Nami's back with the guys!" Usopp called, rushing forward to check if they had brought any food back.

"Yup! Where's Luffy?" A loud crash answered Sanji's question.

"I'm guessing that was him," Nami guessed, rolling her eyes.

"Well, he's kind of fighting the Marines right now..." Usopp murmured, digging through a bag with the food in it.

"The Marines?! When did they get here?!" Nami panicked.

"Chill out! It was just a small ship, Luffy's got this!" Zoro tried to calm down the orange-haired navigator. Succeeding, Nami took a breath before turning to the door. Brook immediately walked up to Nami.

"Excuse me but may I see your-"

"NO WAY!" A kick to the face stopped his request.

"Did you bring the medicine like I asked?" Chopper asked, hopping out from the inside.

"Yup! Here you go!" Nami handed the reindeer a small bottle filled with the fever and cold medicine.

"Thank you!" Chopper said huriedly, running back inside the ship.

"What's with him?" Zoro noticed that the doctor was in a hurry.

"Oh, he's reorganizing his office," Usopp answered, satisfied by whatever he had found.

"HEY! YOU STUPID FUZZY GUY! LET ME KICK YOUR ASS!"

"Seems like Luffy is having a good time," Sanji commented.

"WHY WOULD I LET YOU DO THAT?! YOU ATTACKED US FIRST! I WASN'T EVEN PLANNING ON GOING NEAR YOU!" came an unfamiliar rough voice. The Marine ship went quiet, unnerving the Straw Hat crew. Until they heard the familiar 'Gum Gum Rocket', and saw their captain hop onto the Sunny.

"Yo! I'm back!" Luffy greeted. "Oh! Nami and Sanji are back, too!" He grinned wide when he saw them.

"You idiot! What were you doing over there?! Did you finish them off?!" Sanji asked rapidly. Luffy blinked.

"Nope! They're all fine! Just a little... purple?" he said confusedly. "Anyways, I had to stop fighting them. The guy promised he would leave us alone."

"Don't trust the Marines, moron!" Sanji scolded, smacking Luffy upside the head. Luffy, being rubber, didn't react to the hit.

"But he promised. He can't break his promise, or I would kisk his ass," Luffy said, his tone clashing with his violent words.

"He probably will! You know how Marines are!" Usopp chimed in.

"But... I know that guy. He would never break a promise."

.

.

.

.

.

"WHAAATTT?!"


	3. Chapter 3

Luffy stared at them, confused.

"Yeah, I know him. What of it?"

"How would you know a Marine?! Let alone why you seem to be friends!" Nami said frantically, waving her hands everywhere in her panic.

"Oh, that. It's just Coby. Him and some of the other Marines are just refueling here, like us," Luffy explained. "He won't attack us as long as I'm here. But there was this one guy, and he was really hairy! He didn't seem to like listening to Coby..."

"Oh, it's just Coby?" Chopper sighed in relief.

"Yup."

"So we had nothing to be worried about," Zoro said, laying against the railings.

"Nope."

"THEN WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL US IN THE FIRST PLACE?!" Sanji shouted, kicking Luffy in the face. Luffy fell back and hit his head on the mast.

"Oww! I didn't know until just a minute ago! I'm sorry!" Luffy had tiny tears in his eyes as a bump formed on his head. Zoro sighed, but he stood up and climbed into the crow's nest where it was quiet. He was surprised when Usopp followed him up, a serious look on his usually smug face.

"Zoro, we need to talk. It's about Luffy..."

Zoro raised a brow in curiosity.

"Go on."

* * *

"Luffy-san! I just finished a new song!" Brook called, sitting himself on a magically appearing stool.

"Alright! Sing it!" Luffy cheered, all sadness forgotten as he rushed over to the skeleton. Brook started strumming on the also magically appearing guitar.

"He just never cares, does he?" Sanji sighed, watching the captain sitting on the floor at Brook's feet, bobbing his head to the rhythm of the song.

"He wouldn't be Luffy if he cared," Zoro scoffed, having come down from the nest with Usopp. He was also watching the boy with a carefully blank expression, knowing that Luffy could tell if someone was looking at him. Cook and swordsman shared a knowing look, before Sanji left to go start cooking. Luffy, sensing he was being watched, looked at Zoro and grinned. Waving his hands in a 'come on' gesture, Luffy tried to get the swordsman to come over. Zoro shook his head, but smiled slightly. Luffy shrugged and turned back to Brook.

Zoro sighed and watched Usopp start dancing to Brook's music. Luffy started laughing, but then joined the sniper in his dancing. Chopper giggled at the two, then put chopsticks in his nose, making him look rediculous. Zoro snorted at the scene before him.

"They're pretty energetic, aren't they?" Robin mused, standing beside Zoro and causing him to jump, as he hadn't seen her there. Relaxing back against the railing, Zoro hummed in response.

"Yeah, but they could stand to be a little less enthusiastic," he grumped, remembering how time and time again Luffy's enthusiasm had gotten them into trouble. Robin laughed softly.

"But it's what makes them happy," she pointed out, watching Usopp struggle to copy Chopper, whereas Luffy had no trouble at all. Brook stopped playing to laugh at the three.

"Hey, Robin?" Zoro whispered. Robin looked down at the swordsman, surprised to see that his face was completely serious. "Usopp told me that something weird happened while we were gone."

"Oh? What was it?" Robin asked. She hadn't been here earlier; instead, she had been out looking for any poneglyphics or anything of the sort.

"He said that Luffy started acting weird. A quiet kind of weird, like he wasn't moving or really responding to anything." Zoro watched as Luffy danced, finally letting some worry creep into his usually bland voice. Robin hummed to show that she understood.

"Maybe Luffy-san was just thinking of something," she suggested. Zoro nodded.

"That's what Usopp said Luffy told him. I'm just wondering _what_ he was thinking of." Robin nodded her head once, agreeing with the swordsman, before walking off onto the higher part of the deck.

"Hey, Brook! Play Bink's Sake for us!" Luffy said happily, pausing in his rediculous dance to stare at Brook.

"Alright, Luffy-san!" Brook agreed immediately.

"Nami-san! Look!" Robin interrupted Brook's song and pointed to the horizon, where dark clouds were moving towards them quickly. Nami frowned. It wasn't supposed to have such dark clouds here. It was supposed to only snow a little. But the clouds said otherwise. She checked the wind, the temperature, and the waves, before realizing what was wrong.

"Everyone, get inside! Hurry! There's a huge blizzard coming!" she ordered, running inside herself. Everyone knew better than to disobey the navigator, as it was a bad idea to anger her. Plus, listening had saved them all on many life-or-death situations. Nearly seconds after the door was closed and bolted, a strong wind violently rocked the ship and caused the Marine's boat to crash into theirs. Usopp bumped into Franky, Franky stumbled into Sanji, Sanji tripped over Zoro, and Zoro jumped up angrily and glowered at Sanji.

"Watch it, love cook!" he growled.

"You watch it, marimo!" the cook hissed back.

"Wait! Where's Luffy-san?!" Brook cried, upside-down on the floor. Everyone looked around the cabin, not seeing a speck of a yellow hat or coat to even hint their captain was inside.

"HEY! LET ME IN!" came a cry at the door. Franky ran to look outside the window, horrified to see Luffy struggling to open the door as the wind whipped his hair all around his face. The straw hat was tied around his neck, but from the look of it, it wouldn't be much longer.

"It's Luffy-bro! He's still outside!" He started to unlock the door, but then Luffy stopped knocking. One second, he was pounding on the door, the next, gone. Right after he disappeared, the sudden blizzard died immediately. Franky yanked open the door, hoping to catch a glimpse of Luffy to chase him down, but there wasn't even a single hair left. All that he left behind was the straw hat bobbing slightly in the now-gentle breeze, sitting comfortably in the railings as if mocking the fact that they couldn't see their captain anywhere.

* * *

 ** _OH GOSH DARN IT. I MADE THIS CHAPTER ITTY BITTY. SOMEBODY SHOOT ME_**

 ** _Dean: Gladly_**

 ** _Me: Not you *Glares*_**

 ** _Dean: Fine..._**

 ** _Me: SAM! YOU DO IT! I LIKE YOU BETTER_**

 ** _Sam: Er, what?_**


	4. Chapter 4

_***Smacks my head***_

 _ ***Slowly shakes my abused head***_

 _ **I am such an idiot**_

 _ **I updated the wrong chapter for chapter four and never even noticed**_

 ** _Kill me now_**

* * *

For days, maybe even weeks, the Straw Hat crew looked in every corner of the island there was. But there wasn't even a hint of their captain's smile, or his noticeable straw hat he amost always wore. In fact, if they hadn't known better, he might've disappeared off of the face of the earth.

"Luffy!"

"Luffy-san!"

"Shitty captain!"

Each of the crew dutifully called for their missing friend, but there was never an answer. Only the occasional echo of their own voices as they bounced around the caves they explored. The weather didn't help their search in any way; the snow made it hard to see, and the nonstop storm covered any footprints that could've been left behind. Chopper claimed it also deadened any smells, so tracking Luffy down seemed to be an impossibility.

"Did you find anything?" Nami asked as they regrouped at the Sunny again.

"Just like the last time, nobody can seem to remember if they saw our hyper-active captain anywhere around town," Sanji stated bluntly.

"Nothing to report here," Zoro grunted.

"Not a thing," Chopper sighed, sitting beside Usopp.

"That's so not super..." Franky muttered.

"Maybe Luffy-san was taken by the Marines and taken to Impel Down," Robin suggested, calmly sipping her coffee.

"Don't say things like that!" Chopper screeched, tears pooling in his eyes. "He's okay! He has to be!" Everyone spared each other a glance, then turned their attention to their small doctor.

"We know he's fine," Sanji sighed, taking a drag from his eighth cigarette that day. Chopper relaxed slightly, but his face was still taught with worry.

"Yeah, yeah he's fine. Everyone's okay..." he said, but he seemed to be soothing himself more than the other crew members.

* * *

Luffy tried to blink open his eyes, but the elephants on his eyelids wouldn't go away. He tried lifting his hands to rub his eyes, but he couldn't move his arms more than three inches before they stopped. He frowned at this, and he tried standing up, only to find his legs wouldn't respond. He kept trying, and soon he felt the slightest twinge in his leg. Automatically, it felt as if a thousand tiny needles were repeatedly poking his leg. He knew he had been asleep, but for how long?  
"Ah, straw hat. You are awake, yeah?" Luffy finally got those dumb elephants to go away, and he barely opened his eyes even a sliver. Even that was enough to let a bright light slice into his vision, and he bit back a yelp as he squeezed his eyes shut once again. The same voice that had spoken before seemed to laugh, but it sounded more like they were trying to barf to Luffy.

"Sorry, the light is too bright for you, yeah?" Luffy wanted to say something biting, like "It's not _that_ bright", but something in the voice made him bite his lip and keep it in.

"You can open your eyes now, yeah. I turned the light down, yeah," the voice came again. Luffy hesitated, but he cracked open an eye. When he deemed it safe, he opened both eyes wide. His head whipped back and forth, as if trying to take it all in at once.

"Whoah, calm down, yeah. You'll hurt yourself, yeah," the voice cautioned, but Luffy didn't listen. He was too bust trying to figure out where he was.

"You're curious, yeah? You want to know where you are, yeah?" Luffy tried to find the source of that unidentifiable voice, but the plain, cotton-white room had no living being in there. Except for himself.

"Who are you?" Luffy's voice sounded scratchy, as if he hadn't used it for days.

"I'm your new friend, yeah. My name is Sketchy, yeah," the voice answered. Luffy frowned.

"Catchy? I don't know, you sound more like a Jeff to me..."

"I said Sketchy, yeah," Sketchy interrupted patiently. "Now, you'll answer my questions, yeah?"

"Um, no, yeah," Luffy said, mocking Sketchy's speaking style.

"Too bad, yeah. I guess you'll have to go with Beetle, yeah," Sketchy sighed. "Beetle isn't very nice, yeah. I'm the good guy, yeah."

"So good guys kidnap people?" Luffy asked sourly.

"Yeah, good guys do that, yeah."

"That's stupid."  
"It is, yeah. Now, wait for Beetle, yeah. He's coming to get you, yeah," Sketchy said cheerfully. "Bye bye now, yeah!" Luffy rolled his eyes, then tried to reach up and touch his hat. Tried being the key word here.

"What the-" He turned his head to see that he was in a pretty awkward position; His hands were chained to the wall behind him, and he was slumped over on his knees. No wonder his legs had been asleep.

"Good guys kidnap the future pirate king, huh?" he muttered bitterly.


	5. Chapter 5

_***Spins round like a moron until flopping to the floor, my eyes rolling up into my head, blood pooling under me***_  
 _ **The sniper that shot me: UPDATE, YOU (A word that isn't suitable for the A.N.)**_

 _ **"Me: *Jumps up and bristles defensively* Why should I?**_  
 _ **Sniper: Because you love me**_

 _ **Me: ...WHAT THE FRICK NO!**_

 _ **Luffy: What about me? Would you update for me?**_

 _ **Me: I'm on it *Types furiously since I didn't even start a chapter until just now***_

 _ **Sniper: You misspelled half of it**_

 _ **Me: I don't care. It's an update, is it not? Besides, nobody cares about my suckish spelling anyways. My writing is too amazing to care *Flips hair fabulously***_

 _ **Sniper: *Sweatdrop* Um, no**_

 _ **Me: *Hair falls into my eyes* I knew it...**_

 _ **=AND NOW FOR THE ACTUAL CHAPTER=**_

The man was swinging his legs, sitting on the dock, looking up at the sky. It could've been the perfect picture of tranquility, except the three swords laying next to him and the reindeer on his lap slightly ruined the image.

"Do you think we'll be able to find him?" Chopper sniffed, rubbing his bright blue nose. Zoro shrugged, absently petting the reindeer's head.

"I'm pretty sure we can. There's nothing we can't do," he said half-heartedly. To most, that was only true when they had their impossibly upbeat captain with them. But now, the crew just seemed like a group of broken outcasts, only staying together for fear of the loneliness that could consume them.

"B-but we haven't gotten a single lead..." Chopper sniffled again, reaching up to pull his light blue hat further over his face. Zoro looked down, not surprised to see the doctor curling up into himself, as if trying to disappear.

"Does that even matter? We'll find him anyways. Or he'll find us," he said, reaching up to brush his hand over the straw hat he now wore. The whole crew unanimously decided he should be the one to keep it, since he was the first one to join. He protected it just as fiercely as Luffy had, if not more.

Many people had recognised the hat, but they also recognised the man that held it as Zoro, not Luffy. It made them wonder just what had happened to Straw Hat Luffy to make him leave his symbolic hat with a directionless idiot.

"He could," Chopper agreed sulkily, dropping his head to his knees. "But he also couldn't."  
"Since when were you the depressing one? That was Robin's job," Zoro teased, though his voice was just as dark as Chopper's.

"Hey, shitheads. Lunch," Sanji called, though he didn't add any heat to his words. Zoro grunted and stood up, Chopper hopping off of his lap. The two climbed up the ladder, neither having the energy to protest at being called 'shitheads'.

"Um, isn't this a little too much?" Usopp asked, eyeing the giant table overflowing with this island's native foods. Sanji shrugged, then shivered and pulled his coat even tighter around him.

"I'm used to making too much food," he said blandly, daring to reach up and flick some ashes off of his cigarette. "Now hurry and eat it before the snow gets it." As if in answer, the wind changed direction, bringing a clump of snow directly to Zoro's head. He spluttered briefly before brushing it off, bringing only tiny smiles to the faces of the watchers.

"Is there any coffee?" Robin asked, and it was then Zoro noticed the dark bruises under her eyes, indicating that the archaeologist was doing more than just a little late-night reading. Sanji, miraculously, handed over the coffee without any extra flair. Robin took it with a grateful nod, then took a long drink.

"I hope Luffy-san didn't fall into the water and drown," she said morosely. Brook, having just come down from the crow's nest, gave a shudder.

"That gives me goosebumps on my skin! Ah, but I don't have any skin! Yohohohoho..." Even his always-cheerful laugh was flat and depressing. It was as if someone came and just unplugged them from the outlet known as 'life'.

"This is so not super..." Franky mumbled. "Everyone's being too sad. Would Luffy-bro like that?" Everyone turned to stare at the cyborg.

"No...?" Chopper said hesitantly.

"Exactly!" Franky exclaimed, making the poor reindeer jump in fear. "Luffy-bro would hate that we're being so negative! We need to cheer up!" He slammed a fist into his open palm. "Now, does anyone have any ideas?"

* * *

 _ **Thank you to my friend, who doesn't want to be named, for writing the rest of this chapter for me. I'm glad you decided to help me out here. I couldn't bring myself to write any more after this.**_

* * *

Luffy stared at the wall, counting his heartbeats since he didn't have anything better to do. He shifted his blood-covered arms, and the Sea Stone cuffs rubbed again at his raw skin. A trickle of fresh blood ran down his wrist to the tips of his fingers, but he didn't even notice. He wasn't even blinking, and if one didn't look close enough, it almost seemed like he wasn't even breathing.

His once-cheerful personality had completely gone down the drain. All that was left was an emotionless shell, who never even seemed to notice anybody else's pain. Even if they screamed right in front of him, he didn't even bat an eye.

"One million and two... one million and three... one million and four..." he droned monotinously, banging his head on the wall with each count. He paused when the door opened, but only for a second when that weird guy entered for... he couldn't even remember how many times the man had come in already.

"One million and eight... one million and nine..." he continued, not even giving a second glance to his visitor.

"Don't be like that," the man sighed, reaching up a hand to smooth down his already perfect hair. "I didn't come here for that today." Luffy still didn't look any more interested, and he kept counting and banging his head on the wall.

"One million and fifteen... one million and sixteen..."

"Look, I just came to move you to another cell. That's it," the man huffed, obviously annoyed. Luffy stopped counting, and the man relaxed visibly.

"What's your name?" Luffy asked abruptly, looking over at the man. The said man blinked in surprise.

"Ah- Gādian*,"he answered.

"Guardian, huh?" Luffy mused, looking away again. "That's stupid. If you're a guardian, you protect people. Now, where am I going today? Hell? Oh, wait, I'm already there."

* * *

 ** _*Gādian- Japanese for 'guardian'._**


	6. Chapter 6

_**GIANT TIMESKIP! This is a year later!**_

Nami stared and stared at the paper in her hand. Her waist-long orange hair wisped around her face, but she didn't notice.

"Everyone! You have to look at this!" she shouted, eyes wide. Zoro came loping over, while the rest just shook their heads and looked away. This was the fourth time this week Nami had tried to call them over, hoping for something to be a lead on wherever Luffy had gone.

"Nami, I'm sure it's nothing," Zoro sighed, grabbing the paper from her hand. He merely glanced at it, then handed it back. His now-slightly-long green hair drifted in his face, and he impatiently blew it away. "See? Nothing."

"No! Look!" Nami thrust the paper in his face, pointing to the corner of the picture in the middle. Zoro screwed up his face. The picture was of an impossibly thin man, grinning in a maniacal way. But he looked where Nami's finger was pointing. He couldn't see anything at first, but when he squinted, he could just make out what looked like Luffy's face in the background. His own eye widened, and he pulled the paper closer to his face.

"Holy shit!" he gasped. "It really is him!" Chopper's eyes widened; even after a year, he still had soft, baby doe eyes that could melt someone's heart. He had his bubblegum-pink hat, though now his horns curved up and over it like trees. He wore a small blue hoodie and pink shorts, and that was it except for his backpack. But he had grown quite a bit, nobody could deny that.

"Let me see!" He scrambled up Zoro's arm, hooves digging into skin. Zoro winced, but didn't stop him. The reindeer peered closely at the newspaper, and he took a sharp breath.

"Usopp! It really is Luffy!" he cried, snatching the paper and jumping from Zoro's shoulder to run to the sniper. Usopp immediately scooped him up in his now-thick-muscled arms.

"Really?" His voice was much deeper, and if Kaya heard or saw him, she definitely wouldn't recognize him. His hair wasn't like before; now it was shoter and tied into a ponytail, and he wore a plain black shirt and tan pants, tucked into steel-toed boots. He still had his kabuto, though now it was a deep blue and was much larger. He took the paper, and Chopper pointed to the face that looked just like Luffy. "Franky!"

"Bro?" Franky poked his head out of the inside. His now-longish hair was filthy, showing that he had been working on some upgrades for the Sunny. Half of his hair was draped over one eye, much like Sanji's had been, but it was slicked down, and the other half combed neatly behind his ear. Other than that, he looked just the same, except he replaced his sharp-looking sunglasses with large, round ones. He still wore his Hawaiian shirts and speedo, though everyone begged for a change.

"Here!" Usopp thrust the paper into Franky's large hand. Franky grunted, then used his smaller hand mechanism to push his sunglasses up his head. Usopp pointed to the corner, and Franky's eyes widened.

"Holy hell! It really is him! Son of a bitch!" Oh, and he had gained a whole new vocabulary, mostly consisting of curses and slang.

"What is it, Franky-san?" Brook, popping out of nowhere, asked politely. He looked exactly the same as a year ago, though his hair was slightly more poufed out than usual.

"It's Luffy-bro!" Franky jabbed a finger at Luffy's face. "He's alive!" Brook laughed softly.

"That's wonderful news! I shall go tell Sanji-san and Robin-san! And maybe Robin-san will let me see her panties..." Yep, same old Brook. He disappeared inside, leaving the rest to stare at the news.

"I told you!" Nami huffed. "Now, he's apparently near the Synagogue Island, because this is where this picture was taken-"

"Nami-swan! Is it true?" Sanji shouted, bursting forth from the ship like a hurricane. His signature eyebrows were just the same. He still wore his trademark suit, but now his blond hair was shorter, though it was longer than Zoro's had been. Both eyes were completely exposed, and they were wide with shock.

"Have I ever been wrong?" Nami sighed, while Chopper showed the cook the paper.

"This is certainly cause for excitement," Robin commented, coming out from the floorboards. Her hair was now short and neat, cut to right uder her chin. Her piercing blue eyes had gained more softness, though now they were usually hidden behind Franky's old pair of sunglasses. She had a black long-sleeve shirt on, covering her hands completely, and she was wearing plain grey sweatpants.

"Obviously!" Zoro shouted to her, eye glittering. He hadn't changed much either, just a few inches of hair and another sword to add to his collection. He was now known as Straw Hat Roronoa, and Luffy's bounty changed to just Monkey D. Luffy. His bounty did fall, though, because the Government knew where Luffy had gone.

"Let's go to Syna-Syani-Sytha-" Chopper stumbled over the word, and he looked at Nami, pleading for help.

"The Synagogue Island," Nami corrected. "That's the next island on our route." Her eyes sparked with unsaid excitement. "Full speed ahead! We're getting our captain back!"

* * *

 _ **RATED M SCENE! TORTURE ALEERRRTTT! SKIP IF YOU WANT TO KEEP BLOODY IMAGES FROM YOUR MIND!**_

* * *

Luffy woke from his daze, though he had never actually been asleep. His mind had somehow made something in between sleep and awareness, so he was aware of his surroundings but wan't fully awake. He heard the sound of scraping, and he knew what they were doing. He obediently opened his mouth, and a spoon full of something was shoved into his mouth, more forcefully than needed. He coughed slightly, but nodded to the woman. She nodded back, though her eyes shone with an apology. Luffy already knew. There were guards nearby. She continued feeding him, though she wasn't nearly as rough as the guards usually were.

"Alright, that's enough," a guard said brusquely, and the woman quickly stood up. She left without a word, and the guard walked over and kicked Luffy in the ribs. "Get up." Luffy immediately staggered to his feet, though he shivered like a leaf, looking like he would fall over at the lightest wind. The second guard came and grabbed his arm, dragging him down the hall towards _that_ room. It was, by far, Luffy's least favorite room. The holes in his hands still hadn't healed from last time.

"In you go." The guard tossed him forward, slamming the door behind him. Luffy didn't even get up, because he knew what happened next.

"Welcome, Straw Hat," he heard. He tilted his head far enough that he could see behind him, though it was upside-down. "I see you've recognized the place. No worries, it will be different this time." Luffy shuddered, knowing 'different' didn't always mean 'better'. In fact, he probably knew it more than anyone.

He awaited the feeling of being dragged across the floor to the wall, where spiked chains were waiting for him.

"Now, behave..." Beetle said snarkily, pinning Luffy's arm against the wall. The chains clamped down, digging into his flesh, but he didn't react. His neck was also chained, as were both of his legs. Only one arm was left free, and that was stretched across the room. His hand was stabbed onto a hook sticking out of the wall, and he winced as the hole reopened. His hand was stuck to the hook, leaving his arm stretched in the middle of the room. His body strained to retract, making the chains on him burrow even deeper. His hand was being torn open, and it was all he could do to just keep his mouth closed.

"I wonder what we'll do today..." Beetle said sadistically, picking along the weapons lining the far wall. There was a whip, which he barely clanced at. A knife, which he ignored. Then there was an iron brander. He paused, then grinned in sick delight.

"Oh, I know! I've never melted rubber before!" he said fake-cheerfully. Luffy's heart sank. He knew what was going to happen. They had postponed it for... how long now? Months? Years? And now it was finally time to get his slave mark. Beetle stuck the brander in the small stove, then glanced at Luffy. He clucked his tongue.

"Now, that won't do." He pulled Luffy's hand off of the hook, and it retracted with a snap. Luffy kept his relief inside, and he glared at Beetle, who merely chained his arm to the wall.

"Ah! It's ready!" Beetle walked to the wall. He pulled out the iron, and Luffy's eyes widened. This was it. He was officially going to become a slave for the rest of his life. He might as well make one last effort.

With one massive heave, he spat right on the iron, making it sizzle loudly. Beetle laughed.

"Didn't know you had it in you! Now, let's get it over with..!"

And with a final explosion of agony, Luffy truly passed out.

* * *

 ** _Yes, they gave Luffy the slave mark a year after he was taken. Why? Like I know._**

 ** _And you won't know where until the next chapter... Huehuehuehue..._**

 ** _... Most of you probably think my mind is messed up now. But... I DON'T CARE! *Imagine Lumpy Space Prince on Adventure Time*_**

 ** _Please review! Tell me if I did good!_**

 ** _Luffy: ...WHY_**

 ** _Me: BACK TO YOUR PRISON! *Throws him out*_**


	7. Chapter 7

Only minutes after the crew landed on Synagogue Island, they could be seen marching purposefully down the street, casting glares at anyone who dared look or speak to them.

"Okay, me, Sanji, Robin, and Zoro will all search the south side," Nami said authoritatively. "The rest of you search the north. Leave no rock unturned, and triple check if you have to! We are bringing our captain back!" Everyone nodded affirmatively, already splitting into their groups. Nami's group dashed to the south side, and Chopper bounced onto Usopp's soulder. He turned into a new Point: Nose Point. It allowed him to scent something as small as a flower miles away. He turned extremely small, small enough to fit inside the palm of Usopp's hand, and his bright blue nose glowed as he sniffed the air.

"I can smell him that way!" he gasped, pointing to the north side of the island. Usopp, Brook, and Franky followed the reindeer's nose, to just outside a cave, shrouded in darkness.

"A cave," Franky said flatly. "A fucking cave." He stared for a second, though nobody could tell his expression because of the huge sunglasses.

"Should we get the others?" Usopp asked, crossing his arms.

"We have to. They have Sanji and Zoro," Chopper replied. "Those two have worked the hardest out of all of us. They'll want to be there at the end of the search."

"You're right, Chopper-bro," Franky agreed, crossing his bulky arms.

"I'll get them," Chopper said, turning to Leg Point and bounding away, ears flat as he raced against the wind. Usopp waited until the doctor disappeared in the distance, then let himself shiver.

"How long do we wait until we storm it?" he asked Franky.

"Give 'im five minutes," Franky grunted. Exactly five minutes after his statement, Chopper came dashing back, the other four pirates on his tail.

"Here! We're here!" Nami shouted, waving to Franky and Usopp. The two waited in grim silence until everyone was accounted for, then turned to the cave entrance.

"Well... Here we are," Sanji muttered, flicking ashes off of his cigarette.

"What are we even waiting for?" Zoro growled. "Let's go!"

"We're waiting for Robin!" Nami hissed, smacking his head. Robin's eyes were closed, her arms crossed, as she scoured the cave.

"There's definitely people in there," she reported quietly. "I can't tell how many. There's Sea Stone everywhere, and it interferes with my powers." She opened her eyes and uncrossed her arms. "But it is safe to enter, but the next turn holds a few guards." Nami nodded, then started forward, but Zoro pushed ahead.

"Right... you have the better directional sense," Nami muttered to herself. She was still in shock that Zoro had come into contact with his internal compass, and now had a better directional sense than anyone aboard the ship. Except for Nami, of course.

"Three guards, each male," Chopper murmured quietly. "Each have Sea Stone weapons, and they're heavily muscled. Be careful."

"We can take them. Muscles here has it covered." Nami poked Zoro in the shoulder. "Hear that? You get to do something useful." Zoro shoved her hand away with a grunt, but said nothing. When the turn came, everyone paused to let Zoro turn the corner first. The sound of three bodies hitting the floor gave them their cue to move forward. When they turned, they found Zoro casually leaning against the wall, three men felled before him. Each had a single slash on their necks, and they failed to breathe.

"Was that necessary?" Chopper sighed. He hated when Zoro got like this, mercilessly slaughtering anyone he deemed to be an enemy.

"They belong to the people that took Luffy," Zoro said flatly, wiping a few drops of blood off of Wado Ichimonji. Nobody spoke afterwards. They all moved forward like a machine. Everyone they came across hit the flor before they could make a sound.

"This way," Chopper whispered, pointing down a hall. "I-I can smell him. And..." He stopped, his face worried.

"And..?" Nami pressed.

"Blood. And burning flesh," Chopper said, turning his doe eyes to Nami. "I-I think he's in trouble."

* * *

Luffy coughed, spraying drops of crimson on the floor. He once again reached up to feel his burn. The skin was swollen, and it burned to touch it. It felt as if someone had set fire to his skin.

"Hope you like your new makeover!" Beetle cackled. "I put it somewhere ehere everyone can see!" Luffy made a small noise, in between a whimper and a snarl. Beetle just laughed and kicked him. "Too bad! Guess you can't hide it from your friends now!" he cackled. He pulled back his foot to kick again, but the door exploded inwards, startling him enough to put his foot down.

"Who the hell are you?" he snarled. There, standing at the door with enraged expressions, were Luffy's crew. Luffy's eyes widened. Tears started falling down his face. He was in the shadows, so he wasn't spotted yet. Beetle slowly took a step forward, blocking their view even further.

"We're Luffy's crew," Zoro said brusquely. "And we came to get our captain back." Luffy wanted desparately to say something, anything to tell them that he was here. But his voice, goddamnit! It wouldn't work!

"Luffy's in here somewhere!" Chopper piped up, looking around. Everyone started glancing around as well, but they didn't see Luffy in the corner,

"Oh, interesting. So you came for your captain after you abandoned him for three years?" Beetle said sarcastically. The crew flinched inside, but they didn't let it show.

"Where is he?" Sanji said threateningly, stepping forward to glare at Beetle. The man just grinned sickly.

"Oh, here and there," he said airily. It was then the crew realized what room they were in. Chopper's eyes widened even further. The wall was seemingly sloppily painted a brownish-red with black smears, but if his nose spoke the truth, that wasn't paint. It was blood.

"G-guys...?" He started sniffling. "I-I don't think-"

"He's alive!" Franky barked. "Goddamnit, where is he?"

"Well, since you asked," Beetle snorted. He reached up to where a chain was dangling from the ceiling and tugged it. The room was immediately flooded in light, and the crew had to close their eyes against the sudden brightness. "He's right here." They blinked open their eyes, slowly, then each and every one of them gasped. Luffy was slumped against the wall, a grin on his face.

But he closed his eyes slowly, the grin still on his face, a red puddle growing beneath him.

"LUFFY!"

* * *

 _ ***Ahem* And there. The crew found Luffy. ...And you still don't know where the mark is. I'M SORRY!**_

 _ **At least you know it isn't on his back, shoulder, or anywhere else it can easily be hidden.**_

 _ **By the way...**_

 _ **A HUGE THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO REVIEWED/FOLLOWED/FAVORITED THIS STORY! I THOUGHT OF JUST QUITTING, BUT THEN I THOUGHT HOW DISAPPOINTED YOU GUYS WOULD BE!**_

 _ **ARE YOU PROUD OF ME?**_

 _ **Love you all! Seriously, sometimes the reviews are just too sweet!**_


	8. Chapter 8

_**To clear up some confusion, yes, he was with those people for a year. But, they were also separated for two years. So Beetle counted that as three years altogether. Hope that cleared it up a bit. On to the chapter~**_

* * *

For a while, the crew merely stared. Then, they burst forward in a fit of rage. Beetle had no chance to react before they were on him. Zoro viciously sliced his throat open, and he fell to the ground, gurgling.

"Luffy! Luffy!" Chopper wailed repeatedly. Franky, being the biggest, scooped up the still captain effortlessly. His brows furrowed when he realized how light the raven was.

"Let's get back to the ship," Brook said grimly, his usually cheery personality gone. They all silently filed out of the room, kicking aside any bodies that dared lie in the way. Anyone they came across that was still living weren't alive for much longer.

"I'll lead the way." Zoro slipped to the front, all four swords drawn. One was in his mouth, two in his hands, and one in the crook of his elbow. He disappeared around the corner, and seconds later, a hand flopped into view, drowned in blood. Everyone purposely averted their eyes as they followed Zoro outside.

* * *

"Get him to my office. Now," Chopper ordered, already dashing ahead to prepare the remedies needed for Luffy's treatment. Franky wordlessly followed, face set in stone as Luffy left a trail of red behind him.

"D-do you think he'll be okay?" Nami whispered, gnawing on a thumbnail.

"I really don't know," Usopp said honestly. The six remaining members stood on the deck, waiting for Franky to come outside. When the cyborg appeared, they gave him expectant stares, conveying their questions silently.

"I don't know," Franky sighed, staring at his chest with a disgusted expression. It was dyed crimson with Luffy's blood. He absently threw his shirt to the side, then went to go wash the blood off.

"I hope Luffy-san doesn't die," Robin said sadly. She had lost her emotionless drawl, and it was replaced with more feeling than anyone else's speech.

"He won't. He said he wouldn't die," Usopp said confidently.

"So did Ace," Nami reminded him. That took all of the cheer out of the room like a vaccuum. They stood on the deck quietly for hours, nobody moving or daring to make a sound, for fear that even the smallest noise would cut their fragile string of hope.

* * *

For the next three days, Chopper remained in his office, only allowing Sanji to come in now and then with small meals. Each time Sanji came back out, everyone would demand information that he didn't have.

"How is he?" they would ask.

"I didn't get to see him," he always replied. Until the fourth day, Chopper came out of his office, looking relieved and tired at the same time. Immediately, he was swarmed with every Straw Hat pirate on the Sunny, each demanding answers.

"Guys! He's okay! He's alive!" he squeaked, covering his face with his hooves. They immediately quieted, staring at him in hope of more information. When the questions were ceased, Chopper uncovered his face and took a deep breath.

"His... mark is brand new, so that should take a while to heal. He has a lot of small scratches, and a few deep scratches, but those will heal quickly. There are a few burns, but those are old, so they should heal fairly quickly. Also, there are signs of bruising, which doesn't make sense, because he's made of rubber," he said rapidly. He didn't tell them about the holes he found in Luffy's hands, because he didn't know the cause of them yet. At his report, everyone relaxed slightly, though they cast worried glances to each other.

"There's something else," Robin said quietly. Chopper gulped and nodded.

"H-his throat is severely damaged... I'm not sure if it will ever heal... If he can ever speak again, it'll only be in a whisper," he said solemnly. He knew the cause of _that_. Screaming too much had torn up his vocal chords, leaving the black-haired captain mute.

"So... he can't talk?" Usopp murmured.

"Not for a while," Chopper confirmed sadly.

"...Can we see him?" Nami whispered.

"Only for a little. And be quiet!" Chopper walked into his office, and the rest crowded in behind him. Even Zoro, who was quietly complaining about the lack of room. Luffy was laying on one of the cotton-white beds, his now-longish black hair splayed like a halo on the pillow. Angry red marks stuck out horribly on his pale face, which was the only part of him showing. The slave mark he had just gained was covered by a big bandage, which was already stained red. As they watched, Luffy twitched and shifted in his sleep, sometimes seeming to be awake, though his eyes never opened.

"He looks awful." Franky shook his head, putting a large hand on his face to cover his watery eyes.

"Awful, but safe," Usopp said quetly, his own eyes streaming with tears.

"I wish we would've brought that damn guy with us," Zoro cursed. "We shouldn't've given him a fast death. It was more than he deserved." Nobody replied. They just stood there, watching their captain sleep restlessly. They knew exactly who he was talking about.

"Maybe we should expand my office," Chopper suggested to Franky. The shipwright nodded, still scrubbing at his eyes, and left the room. Sanji followed quickly, muttering about dinner. One by one, everyone left to do something, anything to distract them from the haunting image of Luffy, until only Robin and Chopper were left in the room.

"Tell me," Robin commanded, sitting on one of the empty beds. Chopper nodded reluctantly, jumping onto a chair beside Luffy's bed. He carefully folded the blanket, uncovering Luffy's chest. Luffy was completely covered in bandages, but they were tinted red already. Chopper lifted one of Luffy's heavily bandaged hands.

"I- I don't know why, but he has holes going straight through his hands, almost as if someone pierced them with a spear," he admitted. "And... there's these strange cuts on his neck. They weren't made from any knife or sword."

"I may have the answers to those mysteries," Robin said slowly. Chopper turned to stare at her.

"You do?" he whispered. "How?"

"I looked around the room when I could," Robin explained. "Now, the reason he has those holes in his hands..."

After she had explained what she had seen, Chopper was glaring at his hooves.

"Those bastards!" he hissed. He looked over at Luffy. "You know, he also had a really big cut on his arm." Robin raised an eyebrow.

"And..?"

"It was held open with staples. I think it was about four days old, and it was still slightly bleeding. I had to pull all the staples out, then give him stitches." Chopper glared at the trash can, which most likely held the bloody staples. Then he looked at Luffy, and his eyes filled with worry. "It's a wonder he didn't bleed out in the first day." Robin turned to stare at Luffy as well.

"...That just goes to show how amazing our captain really is," she murmured.

* * *

Sanji furiously slammed the egg he was supposed to be cracking into the counter, splattering it's insides all over himself and the counter. He glared at the shards of eggshell left in his hand, then shook his hand, spraying more gunk on the floor.

"Now that wasn't nice." Sanji looked over his shoulder to see Zoro standing at the doorway, arms crossed. "What did the egg ever do to you?"

"It existed," Sanji said coldly. "Get the fuck out of my kitchen."

"No way." Zoro sauntered over, his face grim. "Not until you cook my fucking dinner."

"Fine!" Sanji spat.

"Fine!" Zoro snapped right back. Sanji kicked a leg out, but Zoro automatically blocked it. The swordsman backed away a little, and Sanji resumed his work, though it was with forced and angry movements. When the food was ready, Sanji almost threw it at the green-haired man.

"Happy?" he hissed.

"Very," Zoro replied sarcastically. "What do you think, asshole?" He then left the kitchen without a word of thanks. Sanji gripped the edge of the counter tightly, turning his knuckles white with the force. The counter refused to crack, because it had been specially crafted by Franky for maximum crash and break protection.

"What I think?" Sanji whispered. "I think that somone needs to pay."

* * *

Zoro balanced the trays carefully on his arms like he did with the boats when he was training.

"Food!" he hollered. He thought most would ignore him, but he was surprised when everyone instantly came outside.

"Let's get this over with," Usopp sighed, grabbing a plate. When he saw Zoro's questioning stare, he shrugged. "Doctor's orders. Everyone has to eat."

"Exactly! We can't go dying of starvation! Luffy needs us!" Chopper said vehemently, shoveling whatever he could reach into his mouth, just like Luffy had done a year before. Zoro shrugged, then grabbed his own plate. Once the trays were clean, with much reluctant groans, everyone disappeared back inside. Zoro waited until they had all disappeared, then sneaked off of the ship onto the island below. He went into the forest, keeping in mind where the ship was, then pulled out his swords. If his fifth one hadn't broken, then he would've been using five instead of four. But he was stuck with four.

At the Sunny, one could see great clusters of trees rapidly toppling over, thinning out the forest in seconds.

* * *

 _ **And that's chapter eight. And, since you guys desperately need to know...**_

 _ **The slave mark is on Luffy's cheek, the same cheek where he has his scar. I know. So mean, right?**_

 ** _The next chapter, Luffy will wake up! Yay!_**

 ** _...And can someone get this darkness off of me? It's creeping me out..._**

 ** _Darkness: *Shivers for no reason and clutches even tighter to my arm like a parasite*_**

 ** _Me: *Shudders* Yeah, I need help_**


	9. Chapter 9

Chopper sat for hours, just staring at Luffy's thin, pale face.

"I'm not sure what to do. He hasn't slept properly for possibly the whole year he was gone, but he's also malnourished and severely dehydrated. I don't know if we should wake him up so he can eat properly, or if I'll have to use an I.V.," Chopper said nervously. Robin nodded in agreement.

"I suggest the I.V., Chopper-san. He really needs his sleep, and this way, we can give him the exact amount he needs, no more, no less," she said encouragingly. Chopper nodded, biting his lip.

"If you say so," he muttered doubtfully. His gaze once again fell upon the bandage covering half of Luffy's face. He felt his anger start to boil over, threatening to change him into Monster Point if he wasn't careful.

"I... I need to go take care of some things," he said abruptly, standing and jumping down from the edge of the bed. Robin wordlessly let him leave, keeping her eyes on her captain's still face. She understood.

* * *

Chopper stormed past Usopp, who was skipping rocks on the calm sea with angry flicks of his wrist, and Franky, who was hammering away at a nail that had long since been pushed into the wood of the ship. He could hear Sanji swearing away in the kitchen at people that no longer lived, and by the way trees were falling on the island, Zoro was taking out his anger on the poor forest. Robin was most likely spending her frustrations in her mind. Nami was in her room, so there was no telling what she was doing.

But they weren't angry at Luffy, nor were they particularly angry at his kidnappers. No, they were angry at themselves for letting Luffy get caught in the first place. The way everyone had purposely avoided entering the infirmary now was proof of that. They couldn't face their captain after they had left him for a year.

One horrible, torturous, sickening year, full of pain and loneliness.

Chopper grit his teeth, unconsciously turning to Arm Point. he jumped over the side of the ship, landing on the sand with barely a sound. He could feel Franky's stare on his back, but the shipwright never stoped hitting that single nail.

The doctor followed the sound of falling trees, until he came upon Zoro, cutting down trees that dared to be near him. He about sliced at Chopper, but stopped at the last moment.

"What do you want?" His voice was curt, not allowing any lame excuses or late answers.

"I wanted to tell you that you're ruining the forest," Chopper said flatly, gesturing to the trees. Zoro gave a dismissive grunt, but sheathed his swords. "I'd also like to know if you would like to spar with me." Zoro was instantly alert as he stared at the reindeer.

"What?"

"I need to get rid of some of my anger," Chopper ground out, "and you're the only one that can handle me if I go berserk." Zoro relaxed, then nodded.

"Where to?"

"The other side of the island. No point in making everyone think we're fighting for real," Chopper replied immediately. Zoro nodded once more, though it was slow and calculating.

"They won't be able to see or hear us fighting, so we won't wake Luffy up," he thought aloud. "Alright. Let's go."

* * *

Nami was almost sure her hand was bleeding by now. But she really didn't care. She just concentrated on keeping the pen moving. Wasn't that what she had learned? Take out all your anger on paper? All she could do was draw the pen back and forth over the paper, dying the light tan sheet an inky black. Suddenly, a Robin clone sprouted from the wall, then walked over to sit on the bed.

"I thought you might want to know something," the clone said haltingly. Nami stopped scribbling long enough to glare at the older woman.

"What is it? I'm kind of busy!" she snarled, harsher than intended. But Robin didn't seem hurt by the sharp retort.

"Luffy-san is getting very restless. I think he may awake soon," the raven-haired woman said matter-of-factly. Nami was instantly on her feet, heading for the door to go tell everyone else. The clone gave a small, sad smile, then disappeared in a cloud of sakura petals.

* * *

Word had spread quickly throughout the crew, and soon, even Zoro was standing beside the bed, watching their captain shift and twitch restlessly. Once, just once, he peeked open his eye, but quicky closed it and rolled onto his stomach. Even though he only turned away from them, their spirits lifted. He was laying right here, alive, and he was awake!

"Luffy?" Chopper called quietly, reaching out a hoof and laying it on Luffy's back. The rubber captain flinched slightly at the contact, but then shakily lifted his arm and pointed up.

"The light?" Robin assumed quietly. Luffy nodded slightly, and a disembodied arm flicked the switch off. It was well near pitch black, but Luffy carefully, slowly rolled back over and opened his eye.

And promptly rolled out of the bed.

"Gah! L-Luffy!" Chopper scrambled onto the bed and peeked over the edge. Luffy was laying on his back on the floor, eye closed as he grimaced in pain, but at the mention of his name, he opened his eye and glanced up. His vision struggled to focus, but when he made out Chopper's furry face, he made a giant smile that most likely stretched his burn.

"C-Chopper," he breathed, voice hoarse and cracking.

And the reindeer simply cried in relief and happiness that they had their sun back.

* * *

 _ **This chapter was basically just the crew letting out some anger, but... Luffy is awake! And he remembers them!**_

 _ **Can't wait until I write the next chapter for all of you reviewers!**_


	10. APOLOGY AND ANNOUNCEMENT

_**Hello all. I know it's been a while, huh? Before you rage at me, throw things, or plot my ultimately painful demise, let me explain.**_

 _ **I've had cancer for a while now, and my family's tight on money. So we had to sell my computer to try and get my cancer treated. I haven't had a chance to touch an electronic device (minus painful medical equipment) in months, let alone been able to log into Fanfiction and type for my stories.**_

 _ **Ultimately? Treatment worked. I'm now scot-free, with just a few scars and no hair. I've been thinking about working on these stories again, but I'm not too sure about that. My writing has definitely improved after all these months of inactivity, so if anybody wants me to restart my stories, drop a review and tell me. Maybe one day I'll suddenly get the inspiration to continue writing these awful things, maybe even go back and fix them up a bit.**_

 _ **All of these were started on the whim of a stupid, oblivious fourteen-year-old girl that wrote thinking she was better than everyone else in the world. Now, I know better. I'm not the best, and I'm not the worst, but I can sure as Hell try.**_

 _ **I hope that all of you will forgive me for my extended absence. I know there was no warning and I just dropped off of the face of the earth, but for what it's worth, I'm sorry. I'll try to be as active on here as before, but I can't make any promises. Especially now that I'm not so sure if I'm in the One Piece fandom as deeply as I was before.**_

 _ **Farewell for now, and I hope that I will see all of you again someday.**_


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